Improvement in reed-organs



R. BU R DETT. Reed-Urgans.

Patentedlan. 20,1874.

AM. PHGRHITHOGRA Pif/C Ca M Y wassen/vrs Mauss) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

-. RILEY BURDETT, OF ERIE7 PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN REED-ORGANS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 146,511, dated January 20, 1874; application filed November 3, 1873.

To all who-m it may concern:

Be it known that I, RILEY BURDETT, of the city and county of Erie and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Reed- Organs, of which the following' is a specification, reference being had to the annexed draw- 1 ing, which forms a part thereof- Figure l being a supercial view of an ordinary reed socketboard; and Fig. 2 is a view of the same with my atttachment placed ready to operate on the back or diapason set of reeds therein, the dotted lines showing` the modifier in actual operation.

My invention consists in the addition of a certain device to any set of reeds placed in a socket-board, which device depresses and otherwise modifies the tone of the reeds thereiu, on which account I term it a modiiien77 so that when the reeds, the tone of which is thus modified, are used in solo-pl ayin g, the tone produced therewith is softerv and more subd ued than ordinary; and when these reeds are used in combination with others in the organ, a beautiful wavy tone is produced, owingto their pitch bein g lowered by my device, and one which constitutes a remarkably tine imitation of the tremulousness of the human voice.

All the reed sets ofthe organ in which I place my device are tuned in the ordinary way, my device ail'ecting mechanically any reed set to which it may be attached, either as a solo set or in combination with any other set of reeds therein.

When my device is not in use, it lies on the outside of the reed set which it is designed to affect.

In order to operate it, the lever C is moved so as to brin g the prongs d of the slotted side of the modifier B into the reed-cells of the socket-board A, and just over the reeds therein. The lever C may vary in construction and operation. These prongs or iingers cl fit easily and without much friction into the reed-cells, and do not grasp or press upon the reedton gues.

I claiml. The modier B, provided with the prongs d for entering the reed-cells of the socketboard, substantially as described.

2. In combination with the socket-board A and modifier B, the lever C for actuating said modifier, essentially as set forth.

RILEY BURDETT.

W'itnesses:

C. C. GoNvERsE, I. W. METOALF. 

